SLIDER

29 April, 2011

happy friday kids. this week went by incredibly fast and i'm so glad it did. super busy! i have some really exciting plans to have fun this weekend and ride around the city. my first stop is tonight for a show where my partner in bike crime and i are going to ride and dance to some good old rock and roll. tomorrow i'll make a fun stop at the museum, the legion of honor. they have an artist by the name of Isabell de Borchgrave who is showing her exhibition of costumes and elaborate dresses made of paper. i've been hearing a lot of rage about this exhibition and i'm finally getting myself out there, by bike. lot's of good things happening this weekend, what will you be doing on your bike?

27 April, 2011

while i was away over the weekend i made a trip out to Venice Beach were i know cruising around on bike was the thing, my kind of scene of course. here are just a few pictures i took out there while i enjoyed the scenery, the people, and culture of Venice Beach.

26 April, 2011

with being busy and all, i'm still pedal pushing around the bay. got to enjoy some sunshine and a little sketch book action with some free time i had yesterday. i miss being here to interact with you all. although the semester is almost done there is so much to do! i'm now starting my plans to paris, two more months! i can't wait! i really just need to find me a bike to rent for 3 weeks then i'm set.

btw, how's everyone doing? as soon as i get these projects done i plan on bringing back the "why we ride series" from some of your female bike bloggers. if any of you are interested in being featured let me know, i would love to share your story.

25 April, 2011

happy monday! this past weekend i took a mini trip out to sunny southern California where my family lives and had a glorious time visiting with them. i had the fortunate opportunity to hang out at Venice Beach were we rode bikes along the pier and beach and hung out under the California sun. growing up in L.A, my siblings and i spent a lot of time on the beach while on break from school and now we make it a tradition that we always go back to build more memories. one thing i really noticed is that you really tell how the style of a bike defines a culture and city, for this case the beach cruiser. i miss SoCal already, but i'm happy to be back in my foggy city. it's gonna be a busy week so hang in with me, wish me luck.

21 April, 2011

yesterday while running my errands to my local grocery shop i was faced with this dilemma above. the entire bike rack was blocked and surrounded by grocery carts. not is it only inconsiderate of people to assume that placing shopping carts around bike racks is ok, it's just flat out ignorant to place them in a spot that's not a shopping cart drop off zone. i'm sure drivers wouldn't appreciate it if i put them in a parking spot. instead of getting my revenge, i neatly placed them all in a zone that didn't block cars, bikes, or motorcycles. i took a picture of the mess and requested to talk to the manager of the grocery shop. i shared the photos and brought it their attention that the carts were blocking bike and motorcycle parking and were piling up and that i kindly moved them. perhaps they need to delegate shopping cart pick ups more efficiently, or perhaps they could place a big sign that says "no shopping carts" around bike parking. we'd all be happy right? a little parking lot planning can go a long way to make things more efficient in this particular zone but i'm sure that can be applied to many other dilemma's we face on the road on a daily basis.

20 April, 2011

aaahh, pedaling pushing in the blooms under the sun, spring is the season i love riding in the most. a lot of people i know want to get into the habit of commuting by bike but are worried about some of the challenges of commuting. commuting by bike is easy but some days can be more challenging than others. it takes time getting used to cycling as your sole source of transportation. when taking up two wheels to get to each of your destinations, take the effort to plan a route, get comfortable with your bike, and build confidence to commute under any circumstance. as a way to encourage your efforts into commuting, here are a few tips to build your confidence on two wheels.

-ride at a leisurely pace but give yourself plenty of time on bike rather than pretending your riding in the tour de france. no need to keep up with the lycra clan, you'll look and feel more at ease and arrive at your destination composed and sweat patch free.

- if you've been keeping your bike locked up through the winter be sure to get into the habit of riding again and build your stamina by riding short routes to your local cafe or while you run errands.

- if your not comfortable commuting to work all the way, ride to your nearest train station or bus stop, lock your bike up, and ride public transit the rest of the way.

-when you're ready to ride all the way to work, google map you route and find a friendly and quiet route.

- when you're ready to take on the challenge of riding to work, pick a day where you can explore your route, get to know you environment, give yourself plenty of time to get familiar with the neighborhood.

-when you feel like you've mastered your route, get into the habit of riding daily, on your errands, to the cafe, the bookshop or library, this will help you to build your level of stamina and enjoy the fresh air and sun.

- don't feel like you have to cycle everyday. it can be challenging, especially when your feeling particularly exhausted. give yourself time to build up your level of fitness in commuting.

-do not feel you have to cycle when you have the mother of all hangovers, your body is aching or cramping, its windy or chucking down with rain or both, you're wearing a pencil skirt and 6 inch heels and have just spent an hour on your hair for a big meeting or date, or you are reading a particularly good book and quite fancy a bus journey. go at your own pace.

- remember to enjoy your commute, build a little ritual route for yourself so that you can enjoy your commute more. one of my favorite commute rituals is riding through the lake to a cafe between my commute, gives me time to wake up and feel alive.

- remember to go at your own pace, it takes time getting used to.

hope this helps you into your future commute by bike. just remember to enjoy the ride.

last week i had received this very special card from a friend who kindly said this card reminded her of me. i thought it sweet and would like to thank my readers and friends who have been supporters of my work and this tiny blog of which i get to share my joys of cycling with you all. in a small way it's almost a reminder of the meaning of why i ride, even if it's just a little light to shine on the world.

hey lovelies, sorry for being so m.i.a. recently. it's almost the end of the semester and things are beginning to get a little hectic with projects and lecture series. i try my hardest to keep readers and followers updated via twitter but my attempts are very little and well let's just say it's good to get back on the good blog. with so much chaos in our world life doesn't need to get any more chaotic, there are beautiful things to be grateful for and loved ones to share them with. i can't go back and say all that i've done in the past few days but i can say that i'm still committed to 30 days of biking and i'm enjoying every minute of the challenge. speaking of challenges i even gave up coffee and i signed up for yoga and gardening classes. i'm trying to find my balance, it's been a challenging transition from sf to oakland but i'm making efforts in getting more involved with my local community and i'm finding that they're are worth it.

did i miss anything with you guys? i'm making efforts today to go through my emails to get back to comments etc and find out what you all have been up to. can't wait to share with you some exciting events!

08 April, 2011

with much of my planning for bike touring i had a great friend who was kind enough give me some great advice on how to prep for a tour. thank you interwebs for the community here that is so supportive of eachother! urban adventure league blogger Shawn was kind enough to send me his very own hand crafted cycle touring primer which i have been flipping through nonstop to plan my next tour! Shawn and April will be going cross country bike touring this Spring and i can't wait to see and support their adventures!

Friday, April 8th, ride will start at El Cerrito BART at 7:30 and you can imagine where it goes from there! three towns will be explored: Albany, El Cerrito and Berkeley, ending the night at Albany Bowl, fun times!

Geared for Kids is a ride put together by volunteers from the East Bay Bike Party with the goal to create a safe and fun community for cycling families and people of all ages who are new to riding. Music, pack snacks, wear helmets, ring bells, make lots of noise, ride slow, play hard, and follow the rules of traffic. The East Bay Bike Coalition will be running regular family riding workshops, and will be sure to let you know when they are, so you or friends can attend before coming out on our ride! There willl be riding once a month, from April to October. Tell your friends! Bring the kids!

Come out to Actual Cafe and soak up some free knowledge in a workshop on brakes taught by Bike Man Dan

You're encouraged to bring your own bike soeveryone can all take a look at it and learn. The workshop will cover all the basics of keeping your brakes well maintained and should run for approximately half an hour.

This workshop is part of an ongoing series hosted at Actual Cafe every second Sunday of the month. Bike Man Dan operates a bicycle service shop located at 5927 San Pablo, Oakland, offering professional, friendly and affordable servicehttp://bikemandan.com/

1592 Market St, San Francisco (at the convergence of Franklin and Page)

COST: The Schoolhouse is a community school space that rents its space at a reasonable cost to support community, education, and sharing, donations of $5 to cover the costs of using the space! Donations are also accepted for Apothocurious.

06 April, 2011

some great post from lady bloggers and the interwebs

when it comes to knowing the female anatomy and cycling, uti's, mestruation, and discomfort are some areas that are overlooked in ladies bike blogs. for a while i've been hoping to find other women to raise the sails on this topic and finally someone did. thanks to Velouria fromLovely Bicycle for sharing her knowledge on theFemale Anatomy and Saddle Discomfort, and opening the door for communication and discovering ways which we can help one another.

for a tickle of cuteness, Bianca of Goodnight Little Spoonshares with us her adventures in #30daysofbikingchallenge. i love reading everyones stories of how they made efforts to go out and explore, anyone else posting about it?

for many of us, we believe that the bicycle can change the world but whathappens to an impoverished developing nation town when you flood it with 20,000 bicycles? you lift three times that number of people out of poverty. there's a non profit organization Pedal for Progress that does that and here's how they do it in The Biycle City. this organization has been the inspiring footprint of my studies and encouragement of how to use the bicycle for loving the world.

ladies, riding at the speed of light, hauling uphill, and riding like a badass lady on a bike pays off, happy bike legs for days. here is day 5 of #30daysofbiking, yesterday we were supposed to ride without shoes but my pedals don't like bare feet. the cause was in line with Tom's One Day Without Shoes, a very worthy cause. on a daily basis i ride about 10 miles between work, home, and school between Oakland, Berkeley, and SF. this is my routine 4-5 days out of the week and i love it with shoes.

day 6 challenge:

Location: Bike ShopDescription: Every Wednesday in April is the Solo Local ride, where you venture off on your own to your favorite local establishment—by bike! This week, route your way to your local bike shop. Huzzah for local business! Use the hashtag #sololocal in addition to #30daysofbiking.Start Time: It's up to you

05 April, 2011

day 4 of 30daysofbiking

spring riding, floral dresses, cherry blossoms, sweaters, dr.dre to perk up my day, and the sun along the ride. these are the days when everyone is hoping on their bikes, hanging out in the park, enjoying a cold beer, and laughing with their friends.

when considering items to carry on bike, i really thought about the amount of hills we where going to ride through (thank you google for warning me.) unfortunately we didn't have the opportunity to camp out in the park as camp grounds were muddy from the rain storm two days before. we opted to rent a hotel over night to re-explore spt park instead of finding other camp grounds which relieved us of having to haul a tent, sleeping bags, and travel. with much gratitude, i hauled about 15 lbs worth of food and clothing to get us along the path. i took only what i needed for 2 days, not bad considering i was going to ride through many many hills, typical california typography for you. although, i thought i was going to quit i never gave up. the only thing i would do differently is get a lighter framed bike to carry cargo, these terrains are not made for the weak and easily discouraged. wendy is no weak bike, she survived a bad accident last year, but she could use a little more gears to help make pedaling a breeze. thank god for san francisco hills that have geared up these legs, i would have stopped when i saw the hills back up to the golden gate park! the panniers that i got for this trip were sufficient enough for the time we where spending there and i would definitely use them again, but i think if we were out longer i would definitely invest in touring panniers.

i'm planning another day trip out to Angel Island in three weeks from now. a lot of friends keep telling me it's a great place to explore, and i have already started making plans. any of you experienced Angel Island tourers got any suggestions?

thanks so much for your kind words and inspiration everyone i love hearing about your plans to tour on a bike. excited to hear more.

04 April, 2011

friends, they make the difference on the road. being the adventurous girl i am, i wanted to bring some of my adventurous bike buddies whom i knew would enjoy this small trip. my guests was my partner in crime Jessica, and my hilarious charming boy Mikey. two people i couldn't imagine this ride without. most of the time some of us felt like stopping and walking our bikes uphill when things got tough. we got lost a few times by google's ambiguous map directions, but thank goodness for google maps app for blackberry, we made it. with the sun on our back, the miles taking a toll on our legs, we were more excited to see what lied in front of us, taking stops here and there to explore our environments, take photos, and try yummy food. i had a professor tell me before i left that it's not speed or destination that counts but the ride along the way. i find these experiences with friends to be bonding and precious when you are allowed to see each other in your most happy and vulnerable states. the stories, the laughter, the encouragement you give goes a long way in making a bike tour an amazing experience. i say grab your loved one and go for a long ride anywhere. just do it and be willing to challenge each other and yourself to do the impossible and try new things. you'll never regret it.

i'll be updating little by little about the bike tour. i have a long week of school work ahead but i'll do my best to share our stories. hope you all have a lovely week!

01 April, 2011

back when Homespun Bikes hosted a Bike Share Camp event, there was an adorable couple that spoke about their adventures on bike throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. in there presentation they had shared with us a project that took bloom when they started to quest their way throughout the bay and started upPost-Car Adventuring, a guide for bicycle camping and riding in the Bay Area. since we bought their guidebook, the boy and i started making plans based on their guides, very handy for those who want to get away from the city and just venture out on a reasonable budget, sounds like many of us right? well, if you're interested in embarking on a local journey on bike for a weekend you can buy the guide book on their website for a reasonable price. i find the guide full of information about using county bus systems, riding public transit systems, and destination guides to making your trip adventurous, very helpful.

i'm sure many of you bay area peeps will be venturing out this weekend with all the beautiful weather we've been having.

oh, and is anyone in the bay area taking on the 30 days of biking challenge? if you are please please please let me know! i would love some of you to share your stories on the blog about the challenges you face and overcome. today marks the first day of it, and as much as i like the idea of a challenge, knowing i bike practically everyday, i think i might give myself some greater challenges during this time. we shall see!

Oakland Art Murmuris a coalition of art and cultural venues dedicated to increasing popular awareness of and participation in the arts in Oakland, with an emphasis on visual art. promoting visual art in Oakland through collective marketing and outreach efforts and our monthly First Friday events, which are open to the public and attended by hundreds of local and visiting art enthusiasts.

Village Parkway and Brighton Drive in Dublin. Space and admission is free.

bay area, sfbcis starting an introductory safe cycling course that is perfect for new cyclists and those want to feel more comfortable riding on city streets. classes will cover the basics for how to choose the right bike and properly fit a helmet. learn tips for the safest ways to ride in traffic, techniques to avoid or deal with road hazards and emergency maneuvers along with other useful gems of knowledge, like the best way to lock up your bike and how to use a bike in combination with public transit, and cyclists' legal rights and responsibilities.

Come out to Actual Cafe and soak up some free knowledge in a workshop on brakes taught by me, Bike Man Dan

You're encouraged to bring your own bike so we can all take a look at it and learn. The workshop will cover all the basics of keeping your brakes well maintained and should run for approximately half an hour.

This workshop is part of an ongoing series hosted at Actual Cafe every second Sunday of the month. Bike Man Dan operates a bicycle service shop located at 5927 San Pablo, Oakland, offering professional, friendly and affordable servicehttp://bikemandan.com/